Greater New York City Spartan Alumni

Members of the Greater New York Michigan State University Alumni Association at our Annual Summer Picnic

I joined other alumni from the New York City Chapter of the Michigan State Alumni Association for our “Annual Summer Picnic in the Park” on July 29th, 2023. This was a much more festive and social event than when I met with the alumni association back in February for the memorial service for those students lost in the active shooting on campus. This was a perfect way to share some “Spartan Spirit” and good times ahead. I have to say one thing, not matter what happens being tragedy or success, Spartans stick together.

The interesting rock formation in Central Park before I got to the picnic site.

We really had a good time. I got to know members of our Alumni Executive Board and other long-time members of the alumni association. We all brought our own lunches and cookies, and bottled water were supplied by the alumni association. It was nice to just sit back on the picnic benches and relax and enjoy the breathtaking sunny summer day.

Most of us talked about the upcoming football season and the problems that we had last year. None of us understood how we could go from a Championship season the year before to a losing season last year. It was disheartening to many of us alumni to sit through these games that we should have won.

We also talked about the upcoming basketball season which was on its way as well. I try to attend all the games that are in New York City when I can and that is always fun. This is when you know how extensive our alumni association is in the tri-state area.

I tried to weigh my opinions in while biting into the homemade chicken parmesan sandwich I made for myself. I swear, so many of our alumni know more about the stats for the team and the players than I could ever imagine.

I also got to meet some incoming Spartans from the New York City area and it is nice to see the latest wave of Spartans entering the university. I remember that enthusiasm when I got there back in 1983. I can’t believe that forty years has passed since I entered college for the first time (I am at my fifth college now attending New York University).

I had gotten there a little late so many people had left by that point so the rest of us piled onto three picnic tables and talked the afternoon away on issues Spartan related and also the general status of Manhattan and the rest of New York City for those alumni that lived in the City. On this late summer afternoon, I could see the Great Lawn in the distance and many people sunbathing, reading, playing fresbie or watching the pop-up softball game in the distance.

It was a nice relaxing afternoon, and I would be joining many of these people at Blondies on the Upper West Side in a few weeks for the opening of the football season. It also gave me a chance to explore Central Park on this beautiful sunny day. I am sorry but there is no place like Manhattan on a sunny afternoon.

Go Green! Go White!

The Great Lawn in Central Park that beautiful afternoon. Midtown sits in the background.

The Michigan State University Picnic in 2025:

Finally getting into the park at 2:45pm

I attending the picnic again in 2025 after a very harried morning and then dealing with public transportation. It took me almost two hours to get from my home to the picnic and I live ten miles from the location.

Walking through Central Park to the picnic site

Between the bus into the City and the subway to get to 85th Street and then having to buy lunch two blocks away and then walking back to park took a lot of time. By the time I got my lunch, walked to the picnic area and then sat down to eat when everyone else was done and were conversing with one another. I felt bad that I was starved and wanted to eat first.

Walking through Central Park

New Green Leaf Deli at 518 Amsterdam Avenue

https://order.online/store/new-green-leaf-deli-new-york-29598336/?hideModal=true&pickup=true&redirected=true

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d4892355-r1021151472-Green_Leaf_Deli-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The Spartan Chicken Fingers from New Leaf Deli were delicious

After I finally finished my lunch, I got to talking with other members of the Alumni Association. The conversation always rolls into the Men’s Football and Basketball season with some talk on the happenings on campus. I have not been back to East Lansing since 2013 so it has been some time since I have seen the changes on campus.

All of us talking at the picnic

Alumni came from both New York and New Jersey

Our picnic area was in the Pine Brush picnic area

Enjoying dessert with other Alumni

Even though I was only there for an hour, it was nice meeting other Alumni and catching up with people I only see at the games at Blondies, a bar on the Upper West Side. Either the football season only a month away and a new coach, we are all looking for a new beginning again.

One of the members’ dog that afternoon

I still had a nice time and look forward to the upcoming football season. No one knows how to predict it but I think we will do well in the upcoming season.

Go Green! Go White!

Walking back through Central Park

Admiring the rock formations at West 84th Street

“Spartans Will”

Paying our respects to Spartan’s lost at the mass shooting on the Michigan State University Campus

On the evening of Sunday, February 19th, the New York City Alumni of Michigan State University got together in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village for a Remembrance of three student deaths and eight students shot on the Michigan State University campus on Monday, February 14th, 2023. I still can’t believe that happened.

Concerned Alumni come out to support Michigan State University victims

I lived in East Lansing for five years and I never felt unsafe on the campus. Yes, we did have our share of jumpings and rapes just like any other campus but no one would have ever dreamed that this would happen. This is becoming an epidemic all over this country and no one knows how to stop it. Civility and manners have gone out the window since COVID but they were starting to disappear before that. In a town like East Lansing, my friends and I never felt unsafe or that we could not walk around the campus and feel threatened. How things have changed since the 1980’s.

We as Spartan Alumni supported one another that night

I did not know anyone at the Memorial Service but I can see that older Alumni like myself were pretty shaken up by this. I never dreamed this could happen at my campus but I have sure that Alumni at colleges like Virginia Tech probably said that same thing.

We as Alumni talked amongst ourselves that evening

The Alumni Association planned a very tasteful Remembrance under the Washington Square Arch in the park and we gathered as the Greater Spartan Alumni Association started a short program to honor those Spartans who passed. I could not believe that we had to meet under these circumstances but over a hundred Alumni were there frozen in what to do and how to handle the situation.

A member of the NYC Alumni Association starting the program

The Alumni Association started the program with some updates from campus and recalled the story of the Remembrance that had just taken place on the MSU campus in East Lansing as the University was still trying to make sense of it all.

Preparing the Memorial during the service

One of the head’s of the NYC Alumni talking to all of us

The Alumni Association gave us some updates on how the five students are doing in the hospital and one of the Alumni told us that they had started a “Go Fund Me” account for the students medical bills. The Alumni Board did there best to try to keep us calm but many of the Alumni were not sure how to react.

The crowds got larger as time went on

The Alumni Association gave us flowers to place by the Arch during the program

Personally, I was not sure how to react. Coming from a generation where I would not dream something like this could ever happen on a college campus. I know there were incidents like Kent State during the 1960’s but that was during the protests of the Vietnam War and the situation was different than someone randomly walking onto a campus and just start shooting people for no good reason.

Many of us were not sure how to react

As the Alumni Association asked us to join in and speak about our feelings, sadly it was the younger Alumni and the recent graduates who seemed to more used to these occurrences. That is sad to fathom. Some of these Alumni knew the victims or still had friends on campus who told them lockdown stories that they shared with us.

Alumni sharing their thoughts on what had just happened

We ended the evening with a prayer, singing the school song “MSU Shadows” (which sadly no one knows the words to even when we were on campus) and words of encouragement. The Alumni Association wished everyone well that evening and to keep our thoughts and prayers with the families of the victims.

Ending the program by singing “MSU Shadows”

At the end of the program, the Alumni Association asked us to place our flowers and well wishes at the Spartan flag at the Arch and we all made our way to the flag to drop off our flowers.

It was a sad and very bittersweet event and I thought the Alumni handled it beautifully. We all just have to have some faith in life and in each other.

We are “Spartan Strong”!

I have to share this very emotional and very warm speech from our Basketball Coach Tom Izzo:

Tom Izzo spoke at the vigil at Michigan State on Wednesday night.

Here is the full video of his remarks: pic.twitter.com/yQ35pxWIK7
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) February 16, 2023